Michigan State's Frankie Fidler shoots against Ferris State during the second half on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

MSU Transfer Forward Named to Prestigious Watchlist

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Nov 1, 2024 9:07 AM ET

Frankie Fidler's offseason commitment to Michigan State was already considered a huge splash for Coach Tom Izzo and the Spartans, and it seems that move to bring in the highly-touted veteran wing has aged quite well.

With just days before the Spartans officiallly tip off their 2024 season, Fidler has been named one of 20 candidates for the Julies Irving Award, given annually to college baasktball's best small forward.

Voting for the winner begins today, Nov. 1.

The list, which was revealed by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Wednesday, is as follows:

KJ Lewis, Arizona

BJ Freeman, Arizona State

Chad Baker-Mazara, Auburn

Tyson Degenhart, Boise State

Cooper Flagg, Duke

Michael Ajayi, Gonzaga

Mackenzie Mgbako, Indiana

Payton Sandfort, Iowa

Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State

AJ Storr, Kansas

Jaxson Robinson, Kentucky

Matthew Cleveland, Miami, FL

Miami (Fla.)

Frankie Fidler, Michigan State

Mark Mitchell, Missouri

Ian Jackson, North Carolina

Drake Powell, North Carolina

Ace Bailey, Rutgers

Arthur Kaluma, Texas

Liam McNeeley, UConn

Tucker DeVries, West Virginia

Fidler comes off a promising outing in the Spartans' exhibition victory over Ferris State in which he led Michigan State in scoring with 14 points.

The transfer wing from the University of Nebraska, Omaha discussed what he hopes to add to his new team way back in July.

"A big thing that I want to bring to the team is wing shooting and just length on the perimeter," Fidler said at the 2024 Moneyball Pro-Am. "Being 6-7 [on] defense and offense is going to be good for us as a team. And I think just taking it up a notch from last year, showing that what I did last year, I can do at the biggest stage as well."

This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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